The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-08-12

| ana inc urelesS hearth, ana the black
winged angel shrieked; "Aha! ! have
won the day." Says some man: II be-
lieve what you say; 1t is right and Chris
tian, and mean sometime to attend to
this matter" My friend, you are going
to lose the comfort Of your household
in the same way the sinner loses
heaven, by procrastination. see all
around me the destitute and suffering
families Of parents who meant some day
to attend to this Christian duty. During
the process Of adjournment the man gets
his feet wet, then comes a chill and de-
irium and the doleful shake Of the doc
tors head, and the obsequies. II there
be anything more pitiable than woman
delicately brought up and on her mar
riage day by an indulgent parent given
to man to whom she is the chief Joy
and pride Of life until the moment of his
death, and then that same woman going
out with helpless children at her back to
struggle for bread in q world where
brawny muscle and rugged soul are
necessary say, il there be anything
more pitiable than that, do not know
what it is. And yet there are good
women who are Indifferent in regard to
their husbands duty in this respect; and
there are those positively hostile, as
though life insurance subjected man
to some fatality. There is in Brooklyn
today a very poor woman keeping q
small candy shop who vehemently OPP
posed the insurance of her husbands
life, and when application had been made
for policy of $4,000 she frustrated it.
She would never have document in the
house that implied it was possible for her
husband ever to die. One day, in quick
revolution of machinery, his life was in
stantly dashed out. What is the sequel?
She is, with annoying tug, making the half
of miserable living. Her two children
have been taken away from her in order
that they may be clothed and schooled,
and her life is to be a prolonged hard
ship. O., man, before forty eight hours
have passed away, appear at the desk Of
some of our great life insurance COM
panies, have the stethescope of the physi-
clan put to your heart and lungs, and by
the seal of some honest company decree
that your children shall not be subjected
to the humiliation of financial struggle in
the days of your demise.
But must ask the men engaged in
life insurance business whether they feel
the importance of their trust, and charge
them must that they need divine grace
to help them in their work. In this day,
when there are SO many rivalries in your
line of business, you will be tempted to
overstate the amount of assets and the
extent Of the surplus, and you will be
tempted to abuse the franchise of the COM
pany, and make up the deficits Of one
year by adding some of the receipts of
another year; and you will be tempted to
send out mean, anonymous circulars
derogatory to other companies, forgetful
of the fact that anonymous communica-
ton means only two things: the coward
ice of the author, and the ineffciency of
the police in allowing such a thing to. be
dated anywhere save inside of peni-
Tertiary. Under the mighty pressure
many have gone down, and you will fol-
low them if you have too much conf
dence in yourself, and do not appeal to
the Lord for positive help. But if any of
you belong to that miscreant class of peo-
pie who, without any financial ability,
organize themselves into what they call
a life insurance company, with a pre-
tended capital of 100000 or $500, 900,
then vote yourself into the lucrative
position, and then take all the premiums
for yourself, and then, at the approach
of the state superintendent, drop all into
the hands of those life insurance under
takers whose business it is to gather up
the remains of defunct organizations and
bury them in their own vault-then,
say, you had better get out of the bust
ness, and disgorge the widows houses
you have swallowed. But my word is to
all those who are legitimately engaged in
the business: You ought to be better than
other men, not only because of the re-
sponsibilities that rest upon you, but be-
cause the truth is ever confronting you
that your stay on earth is uncertain and
your life matter of few days or years.
Do not those black edged letters that
come into your Office make you think?
Does not the Doctors certificate on the
death claim give you thrill? Your
periodicals, your advertisements and
even the TYPOGRAPHY of your policies
warn you that you are mortal. According |
to your own showing the chances that
you will die this year are at least 2 per
cent. Are you prepared for the tremen-
dous exigency? The most condemned
man in the Judgment day will be the un-
life insurance man, for the sim
pie reason that his whole business was
with human exit, and he can
not say: II did not think" His whole
business was to think on that one thing.
Oh, my brother, get insured for eternity.
In consideration of what Christ has done
in your behalf have the indenture this
lay made out, signed and sealed with the
red seal of the cross.
But I have words of encouragement
md comfort for those of my hearers who
Ire engaged in the fire insurance business.
You are ordained by God to stand be-
ween us and the most raging element of
nature. We are indebted to you for what
he National Board of Underwriters and
he convention of chiefs of the fire de-
have effected through your
and through your encour-
cement. We are indebted to you for
vhas you have effected in the construc-
r LII -, -. |